Rewind to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game last Tuesday against the Boston Celtics and most fans will probably remember the Cavs’ 22-point comeback. It was a historic night, led by Dean Wade’s fourth-quarter heroics. However, the win overshadowed an ill-fated occurrence during the game’s third quarter that’s presently affecting the team: Evan Mobley’s injury.
Mobley went down with an ankle sprain, and the latest injury update suggests that he’ll be missing some more time. The big man is currently wearing a walking boot, which has been on his foot for the last two games. (via cleveland.com’s Ethan Sands).
The Athletic’s Shams Charania also reported last Wednesday that Mobley is “likely to miss extended time” due to his ankle.
The 6-foot-11 big man has been a crucial piece in the Cavs’ lineup, averaging 15.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. His combination with Jarrett Allen down low is one of the biggest reasons why Cleveland has the third-best defensive rating in the league (110.8). In addition, the Cavs only allow opponents an average of 46.3 points per game in the paint — the second-fewest overall.
Furthermore, the Cavs are the eighth-best rebounding team (44.5 team boards per game) while holding on to seventh place in team defensive rebounds (34.2 per game).
Cleveland has recently played three games without its towering 22-year-old and they’ve lost twice. Without any structured timetable released to the public, Cavs supporters will have to wait as the team plays smaller with Dean Wade and Georges Niang at the four.
There’s over a month of regular-season action left and the Cavs surely hope that Evan Mobley will be fully healthy come mid-April.